Welcome to the tenth edition of our ad ops-themed newsletter—things are heating up, and we’re not just talking about the weather. June is sizzling with advertising moves, from Meta firing up new attribution tools to Amazon and Roku turning up the heat on CTV targeting. As summer kicks off, platforms are diving into AI, expanding inventory, and rethinking how we track and optimize performance. Whether you’re cooling off with campaign insights or trying to keep pace with the shifting search landscape, these updates are your SPF for staying sharp and sunburn-free. Let’s jump into the deep end!
In the News
Meta Makes Incremental Attribution Available to All Advertisers
This new attribution setting optimizes for incremental conversions, which are conversions directly resulting from your Meta ad (as opposed to conversions that may have happened whether your ad was seen or not). Simply toggling it on in Ads Manager is all that’s needed, and machine learning models do the rest.
Netflix Dials In: Podcasting Meets Programmatic Potential
Netflix is expanding into podcasting through a partnership with BBC Studio Audio to launch its first original podcast, The Big Pitch With Jimmy Carr. The comedy show, featuring visual episodes, is hosted on the “Netflix Is A Joke” YouTube channel and podcast platforms – though notably not within the Netflix app. This move aligns with Netflix’s push into lower-cost, high-engagement content formats like video podcasts, supporting its broader ad-supported growth strategy. For marketers, it underscores the rising value of video podcasting as a tool for audience engagement and branded storytelling.
Beyond the Blue Link: Adapting to AI and Zero-Click Search
While ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms continue to slowly steal market share from traditional search engines, Google maintains a chokehold on the SERP through AI Overview. Zero-click searches now make up nearly 60% of all Google queries, with fewer users clicking through to external sites – especially on mobile devices. Organic clicks are down, while almost 30% of traffic goes to Google-owned properties like YouTube and Maps.This highlights the need to optimize for SERP visibility (featured snippets, structured data) and diversify traffic beyond Google. As AI-generated answers rise, content strategies must shift to meet users where they are – not just funnel them off-platform.
Marketers Move Millions in Ad Spend from The Trade Desk to Amazon’s Ad Platform
Advertisers are increasingly moving budget away from The Trade Desk towards Amazon’s DSP, particularly for connected TV. Several reasons drive this shift, including Amazon’s more affordable platform fees, adaptable contract terms, and exclusive inventory offerings. Thanks to Prime Video’s extensive reach and upgraded technology, Amazon undercuts competitors on price and provides distinctive targeting features, leading to greater adoption.
LinkedIn Audience Research Hack
In her LinkedIn post, Amanda Natividad showed a way to pull audience info from linkedin post analytics. The report provides the top demographic of users interacting with your posts, including Company size, Location, Industry, and Seniority. This can be a good approach for B2B new audience ideation or new client audience research. See how to here.
Amazon and Roku Announced DSP Tie-Up
At the Cannes Lions Festival on June 16, Amazon and Roku unveiled an exclusive partnership allowing advertisers to access Roku’s CTV inventory solely via Amazon’s DSP using a shared identifier. This integration taps into roughly 80 million authenticated U.S. streaming households—covering over 80% of the market—and enables unified tracking across Roku and Fire TV platforms. Early trials show performance improvements—advertisers reached 40% more unique viewers and experienced a 30% reduction in ad frequency without increasing budgets. The technology is expected to roll out for all U.S.-based Amazon DSP advertisers by Q4 2025, marking a significant step forward in CTV ad targeting and efficiency.
Vendor Updates
Basis Introduces Custom Report, Data Visualization and More in Platform
The wait is over, next week early access begins for the new and improved reporting section in the Basis platform! This update will introduce:
- Custom Reports: Build reports from scratch with the exact data you need.
- Data Visualization: Choose from 20+ charts to transform your data into clear, actionable insights.
- Live Dashboards: Create dynamic dashboards that bring all your reports and graphs together in one place.
- Scheduling & Sharing: Easily schedule and share reports and dashboards with stakeholders.
The most exciting feature for the Arm Candy team would be the custom report feature that allows us to build reports based on needs instead of being restricted to templates only.
PulsePoint Partners with HUMAN Security for Ad Fraud Protection
PulsePoint has partnered with HUMAN Security, a leader in digital ad fraud protection, to enhance safeguards against invalid traffic (IVT) using two key tools: MediaGuard (pre-bid) and FraudSensor (post-bid). HUMAN evaluates 100% of traffic—unlike the industry’s standard of sampling—to provide maximum protection across all channels.
A transparent fee of $0.05 CPM for HUMAN will come into effect on June 16th. This protection is built into the platform, ensuring that all platform users are protected.
Read more here. And reach out to our rep if you have any questions!
Google is Bringing Target CPC Bidding to Demand Gen Campaigns
Google Ads has introduced Target CPC bidding for Demand Gen campaigns, of which are currently in beta, allowing advertisers to set average CPC goals across YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Display. Unlike conversion-based bidding, which has been the primary focus for Demand Gen campaigns, this strategy prioritizes click volume, with Google adjusting bids in real time using auction signals and historical data.
Google’s decision to introduce Target CPC bidding for Demand Gen campaigns brings forth the following question – will this be rolled out across other campaign types? Moreover, how different will this bid strategy perform compared to Maximize Clicks?
For traffic-focused campaigns, particularly in the early funnel or audience-building stages, Target CPC offers more granular control. However, it requires careful monitoring to avoid diminished click quality or inefficient bidding behavior, similar to the occasional overbidding seen with Target CPA.
The Trade Desk Taps Snowflake: A New Era for Retail Data Activation
The Trade Desk has launched a native app within Snowflake, enabling advertisers to connect their retail conversion data directly to The Trade Desk’s platform. This integration streamlines how retail media partners activate first-party data, allowing for more efficient, privacy-safe measurement and optimization—without the need for complex data transfers. It’s part of a broader shift toward data clean rooms and interoperable platforms that support real-time, closed-loop attribution.
